ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · capital · lie · rest · pound · club

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — money
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. capital — a city
  11. club — for golf
  12. rest — a break
  13. club — a group
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pound — a weight
  18. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com